Gout And Montelukast

An investigation into a potential gout medicine. Montelukast, an anti-leukotriene used to reduce swelling for asthma sufferers, is compared to indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory commonly prescribed for gout. Although indomethacin comes off worse, we should remember that this is a very early non-human investigation, and we should note that the combined therapy seems better than either individual treatment.

Title:

The effect of montelukast in a model of gouty arthritis induced by sodium monourate crystals.

Authors:

Ponce L, Arjona M, Blanco G, Alvarez S, Arcila E, Ortega A, Nuñez D, Verzura J, Tovar R, Bethencourt S, Riera R, Mora-Orta S, Corado J.

Published:

Invest Clin. 2011 Mar;52(1):15-22.

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Gout And Laser Therapy

Report describing the effectiveness of low level laser therapy for gout pain.

Please note that, although this report does give some convincing evidence that laser therapy is very effective for gout treatment, it also suggests that this might be better than allopurinol. This is nonsense. Allopurinol, or other urate lowering therapies are still required in the long term to remove the cause of gout. As they take several months to be effective, laser therapy is a useful addition to urate lowering treatment for the first few months.

Glucosamine Or Chondroitin For Damaged Joints

Review, showing that, if joint damage has occurred, common solutions do not really work, so best not to allow joint damage to happen in the first place.

Title:

Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis.

Authors:

Wandel S, Jüni P, Tendal B, Nüesch E, Villiger PM, Welton NJ, Reichenbach S, Trelle S.

Published:

BMJ. 2010 Sep 16;341:c4675. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c4675.

Review of Etoricoxib (Arcoxia)

Questions and Answers on the Review of Etoricoxib-Containing Medicines. June 2008, European Medicines Agency (EMEA). Etoricoxib should continue to be licensed for short term acute gout and other conditions. Doctors must be aware of heart and blood pressure risks before and during treatment.

Cox-2 Inhibitors & NSAIDs

Drug Class Review on Cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 Inhibitors and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Nov 2006, Roger Chou, MD. A summary of 26 pain relieving drugs, many of which are prescribed for gout. It includes an assessment of risks for stomach and heart problems, which are associated with longterm use of COX inhibitors.

Urate Crystal Promoter In Gouty Synovial Fluid

Evidence for a promoter of urate crystal formation in gouty synovial fluid. Aug 1991. McGill NW, Dieppe PA. This study shows that there is some component of joint fluid that promotes (or fails to inhibit) uric acid crystallization, irrespective of uric acid concentration. Further work is needed to identify what the component is.